The App Fridge

I walked into my friends house this week and noticed that she had gotten a new refrigerator. Cool story, right? The thing that attracted me me to this refrigerator was an 8in LCD screen located directly over the ice dispenser. The screen showed a display of the current weather conditions and along the bottom was a row of apps. Yes, refrigerators have apps now. Many were familiar, Epicurious, Pandora, Associated Press and Twitter. I punched the Twitter button, plugged my credentials and boom I was checking my Twitter stream. From a refrigerator.

If you’d told me 10 years ago that options for accessing the internet would include my phone, my refrigerator and my car dashboard, I would have laughed at you. And now ten years later it’s all true (and I’m wondering how the hell you knew it was going to happen). You have to ask do we need our fridge to check Twitter for us? Or our car? I’m a millennial, so I’m used to be plugged-in and reachable for a good portion of the day. However even I think that the fridge might be too much. How long before we are literally always plugged-in? I like Twitter as much as the next guy, but when my toilet starts automatically reading my Twitter stream to me when I sit down, I’m out.

New New Twitter

Some of you may have noticed that all of Twitter’s apps are getting a facelift less than a year after the last big redesign. Twitter is calling this redesign Fly, but the nerds are referring to it as New New Twitter. They have a whole webpage dedicated to the new update. Check it out for more details. I’m going to quickly summate what they changed and then talk about why this matters. A lot.

Twitter consolidated everything into four tabs: Home, Connect, Discover, Me. Home is your timeline, promoted tweets, pictures, videos. Connect is everything that happens to you on Twitter such as @replies, favorites or people following you. Discover is a totally new feature to Twitter. It looks at who you follow, what you post, where you live and then delivers content they think you will find interesting. The last tab is called Me and it essentially a catch all for everything else: lists, profile, direct messages. This new layout is being rolled out to all of their apps on all platforms.

Twitter writes on the Fly website, “The new tab menu is the same across all devices. So you get the same experience on mobile and desktop—anywhere, anytime.” Twitter wants to make their service easier for new users. I’m sure most of you have tried explaining Twitter to a newbie and had trouble telling them were to start. Twitter wants to streamline the whole user experience (UX). They have also added brand pages, à la Facebook and are starting to place promoted tweets into users’ timelines. The service is now set up perfectly to insert tweets, trends, stories and brands seamlessly into the UX. It’s cleverly done.

I’ve talked before about how Twitter was struggling between its growing relevance and its quirky, simple roots. Fly is Twitter growing up. Brand pages, native photo sharing, streamlined UI/UX, an integrated revenue network… Twitter is now poised to become a full fledged platform. Facebook has taken some shots at Twitter’s market recently (the ticker anyone?), but now Twitter is stepping up to announce that it’s more than just a place for people to talk about what they ate for lunch. This could get very interesting.

Twitter’s Stories

It’s no longer a secret that Twitter is more than a fun experiment. It’s changing the landscape of communication. It’s played a part in national uprisings. It’s spread the news of an earthquake faster than the earthquake itself. It’s got the media is such a frenzy that they’re plastering recommended hashtags all over advertisements, stadiums and broadcasts. I wrote a few months ago about how Twitter is struggling with shedding it’s old quirky identity and embracing it’s growing importance. Their first commercial was a misstep. This new site they just launched is spot on.

The site is called Stories and has a series of beautifully designed stories about how Twitter was used to make a difference, big or small. The stories are fun, inspiring and show how powerful these new tools are. And did I mention they look beautiful?

Twitter’s Brand Crisis

The big talk right now is all about Twitter’s first promotional spot, which plays on the recent East Coast earthquake. It starts with one of Twitter’s software engineers sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. He gets a tweet that is presumably that the earthquake just happened and picks his coffee up off the table as everything starts to shake, continuing to read his book unfazed. The two main criticisms most people have brought up are a) that the goofball approach underplays how revolutionary Twitter is and b) that regardless, it’s just not a very engaging spot. I’d agree on both counts. Concerning the latter criticism, it got a slight chuckle from me, but wouldn’t make me run out and try Twitter if I hadn’t used it before. However, what I want to talk about is the the criticism of bad brand representation.

In reality, the spot isn’t really that off of Twitter’s brand image. They started with a goofy, techy-nerd image that appealed to their early adopter crowd and haven’t fully shed that yet. For example, if you try and tweet something that is more than 140 characters for the Twitter website, it will flash a message telling you to “be more clever”. The default background is still blue fluffy clouds. The problem is, Twitter has gotten popular enough that they might have outgrown this image.

Twitter has grown way past the little “see what you’re friends are up to” tool that it started as. 87% of people in the US are aware of Twitter. During Hurricane Irene, national news networks were instructing viewers on which hashtags to use when tweeting about the hurricane so the update could be tracked in real time. Twitter has helped spark revolts and revolutions. Whole countries have tried banning it because of the effect it can have. Twitter has changed communication in a real way. They need to decide how they want to be seen by the world. Is Twitter ok with keeping the fun, geeky brand image that this earthquake ad perpetuates? Or are they ready to grow up and embrace the fact that can and are changing communication as we know it?

The #AskObama Town Hall: A Lesson In Social Web Basics

Today was a kind of a big deal on the Internet. First, Mark Zuckerberg and his folks announced some big changes over in Facebook land. Then, right on the heels of Zuck, President Obama hosted the first live-tweeted presidential town hall ever. There’s no rest for us web-minded folks!

As I kept up with #AskObama, @townhall and @whitehouse, I found myself thinking – This is social media at its very best. Day in and day out, I listen to chatter about how to leverage the social web. Every Tom, Dick and Jane bill themselves as “social media gurus” with extra special tips and tricks for success with social.

But the real power of using platforms like Twitter is pure and simple. Use it to have authentic, meaningful conversations you might not have had otherwise. Take the opportunity those conversations present to make a good impression, just like you would if you were able to talk to them in person.

Here’s an example from the presidential townhall: Robin Marty tweeted #AskObama with a question about the housing climate this morning. Obama answered her question via live video stream, and his staff tweeted a summary from @WhiteHouse. Another Twitter user, @Shnaps, tweeted back, challenging Obama’s answer, to which Obama responded in real time.

This kind of back-and-forth conversation between the President and various regular citizens from all over the country is a first. Even when Obama has hosted YouTube townhalls, the questions are submitted and selected far in advance, not tweeted live, and the format was strictly Q-and-A, not conversational. Certainly there were strict controls in place today, but ultimately the event at least conveyed a new kind of openness and access to the President.

The capabilities of the social web – Twitter in this case – are what made this possible. To me, that ability to connect beyond what was previously logistically possible is the real heart of social media. Stick close to that when using it to spread your message, and the tips and tricks will just be icing on the cake.

Sighting: Promoted Tweets

I saw this the other day when I logged in to Twitter: a promoted trending topic. I knew that Twitter had rolled out a promoted tweet platform, but didn’t expect it to come in this form. I grabbed a screenshot and tucked the occurrence in my mind for deep thought.

More than anything, I think I was surprised to see a promoted tweet as a trending topic. Will companies be able to purchase trending topics? How did that work? As an agency who works with a variety of clients, purchasing “ads” on Twitter would seem like a great option.

But I had to ask myself… What are the bigger implications of promoted tweets? Does it take the power away from the voice that Twitter users have?  Does it change the dynamic of the unique online community? Does it disable companies from having real conversations with their customers? If a topic is promoted, is it really “trending”?

I’m curious to see how promoted tweets or trending topics become integrated in the overall system. But I’m also curious to see how it going to affect the community. What do you think?

We’re With Stupid…

Oh, 2009, You Were Good To Us…

Well, 2009, we bid you adieu. This past year has been many things for us as an agency. We’ve survived a recession, gained some new clients, and celebrated our 20^th anniversary as a force in the industry. We’ve also continued to think outside of the box, living and breathing creativity.

Now that this hectic year is over, we’re taking a moment of reflection, thinking about the things we learned (or re-learned) in 2009 and applying them to our future in 2010, which we welcome with open arms. So now that 2010 is officially here, we wanted to countdown 5 of the most essential lessons that our clients learned this year. (OK, so maybe we learned a couple things too)

5. Interaction and Participation: Actually Do It.

Both interaction and participation are important for social media to really work. It doesn’t help just to sign up for a Facebook account. Yeah, that may mean that you are technically using on social media, but it doesn’t mean you are using it the right way. To gain all the benefits of social media, you’ve got to be ready to participate, plug in, and converse with others. That is just the way it is. You’ve got to give to get.

Comcast is a great example. They have taken the time to embrace social media, allowing it to help their company connect with its consumers

4. Tools & Strategy that Work.

Lately, we have noticed a lot of social media obsession. Basically, we have experienced a lot of this: “I want a Facebook!” or “Can you create a Twitter page for me?” We call it Facebook-itis and Twitter-itis, and it is a serious, serious affliction.

You know that saying “there is a time and place for everything”? Well, this rings true here. Yes, Twitter and Facebook are powerful tools and can work, but they aren’t always the right option for our clients. We have developed our ability to assess clients individually, giving them the social media tools that match their specific strengths and that they need to achieve their goals. Sometimes this will include Facebook and Twitter, sometimes it won’t. Either way, we have learned to remain focused on tailoring social media strategy that is specific to each of our clients.

3. Campaign Integration

In 2009, we learned a lot about integration. Social media tools are great, but rarely stand on their own. We knew this was important, but after taking a look at some pretty integrated campaigns (like this one), we came to appreciate integration in that it must go across all platforms, whether that be between social media tools or fully integrated strategies, from creative to marketing to social media. In 2010, we are sure to see more campaign integration, which makes us happy.

2. Relationships = End All, Be All

Social media is about listening to people. Conversation monitoring and participation is at the center of this emerging industry, and we have really learned to listen this year. We now have a tool that allows us to gather discussions from all social media based on the keywords and parameters that we set. That means our clients can gather and sort through larger amounts of relevant conversations, and use them to expand their footprint and find their target audiences.

Take the Comcast example (again). You have a problem with them? Router not working? Tweeting about it will help get your problem solved. They may even tweet step-by-step directions at you. We call that strategic tweeting; fielding and solving consumer complaints has gotten the Comcast brand name pretty far in the minds of consumers on Twitter.

1. Social Media is Legit: It’s the Real Deal, Folks!

We wouldn’t say it’s something we learned, because we knew it all along. But we are thrilled that some of the largest companies are embracing and verifying it; social media is more than a trend and a hot topic. It has officially arrived as a moveable force in the advertising industry. New technologies, like Google Wave, have been created to take advantage of social media. Big time companies like Starbucks or Wachovia are embracing it as part of their marketing strategy. Even the government has acknowledged its influence. Take Obama’s Twitter page or his recent public address on YouTube as an example of this. The FTC also took a part by creating laws and consequences for misuse, which talked about here.

So overall, we feel great. We love what we do and are excited for a very social 2010. Happy New Year!

Blog Fail

One of the dangers of social media is that it can often move so fast that it can be difficult to keep up. Fortunately, we here at The Cyphers Agency are quick to write blog posts about buzz-worthy issues relating to our clients. Unfortunately, however, we sometimes get so immersed in our clients work that we forget to focus on our own blog (bad WOM department! bad!).

So, in honor of our commitment to our clients, please enjoy this blog post that should have been posted 2 weeks ago

“With the death of three American icons, it’s been a heartbreaking week. How did I find out about the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson? Twitter, of course.
Yesterday, I first found out about the death of Michael Jackson via TMZ. I was a little skeptical to believe the source, which is known for its aggressive celebrity following and bashing tactics. I turned on the television to try to some sort of confirmation from a legitimate news source. Unable to find anything but commercials and sitcom reruns, I turned my investigation back to Twitter, and followed until it was confirmed by major news outlets.

And Twitter isn’t just for pop-culture news. Breaking news this year has been breaking way before the morning paper or the 5 o’clock news cast. From live-blogging at the Iran protests to providing messages of support to the people of Iran, Twitter has played a major role in how we communicate about the controversy surrounding the Iran elections.

It’s changed the way we communicate about everything. So, turn on some MJ or Jackson Five, and login to Twitter—there’s a lot to pay attention to.”